I had the most grand time in Cork, like. Past Review
By Mercedes M (University of North Dakota) - abroad from 01/01/2012 to 05/25/2012 with
USAC Ireland: University College Cork - Undergraduate Courses
I gained a more culturally diverse perspective on politics and how the world works. I met the most spectacular people, and will have life long friends from around the world. I wouldn't take back a single euro spent, pint drank, or trip taken.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes I decided to take were not solely for visiting students, therefore, I was held to the same standards as the Irish students who have had experience with this way of schooling. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Mary Steele, the USAC student coordinator is an absolute saint. She was nothing short of amazing and accomodating. I also had good experiences with the administrative staff in the International Office at UCC. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We all really like the city centre location of the apartment building, but it was a decent distance from the campus buildings and other student accomodations. The apartment owners/managers were extremely disorganized and not prompt when things were going wrong. The apartments were also pretty gross and had a lot of issues. |
| * Food: |
The food in Ireland is very meat and potatoes. Soup is very popular but you don't really see anything too outside of the ordinary when you compare it to American food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I made friends really quickly and easily. The Irish people were absolutely the nicest people I met on my travels. They really want to get to know your story. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Some of the American students I befriended had to get stitches or go to the ER for some other reason and they were not treated very well, most times having to wait with a gaping wound for up to 4 hours. |
| * Safety: |
I felt very comfortable walking around the city at any time of the day, even on night walks we never got nervous. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
The conversion rates between the Euro and the USD was not in our favor, and with the high inflation rates in Ireland, I spent a lot of money. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | No |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $300-$400 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make a budget and stick to it.. but if you want to get the full experience, I would suggest bringing as much money as you can get your hands on. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I was told to not bring a lot of stuff with me, and to rent the bedding. I regret not bringing more of my things and not buying my own bedding. Also, there are age limitations on going into some pubs/clubs. |
